Well it's so nice to
see all of you here today.
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Today we're going
to begin a new series.
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The series is titled,
The Great Cosmic Controversy,
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and the subtitle, How God Clears
His Name From All False Charges.
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And basically, this
is a nine part series.
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And we're going to
be producing this series
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during the next couple of weeks.
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And I hope it
will be a blessing.
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Before we begin, I
think it would be a great idea
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for us to have a word of prayer.
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Never should we open the
Word of God without asking
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for divine guidance.
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So I invite you to
bow your heads reverently
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with me as we pray.
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Father in heaven, we come
before Your awesome throne
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to thank You, because we
know that You are a good God.
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You're a God of love, a God
of mercy, and a God of justice.
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We know that many of the
charges that have been launched
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against You are untrue.
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In fact, all of the
accusations are untrue.
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And so we want to
study about Your character
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and how You resolve
the problem of evil.
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And we just ask for Your
guidance, not only in this
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first session, but in
every one of the sessions
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that we will meet together.
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And we thank You beforehand
for hearing our prayer,
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for we ask it in the
precious name of Jesus.
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Amen.
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In this series, we are
going to study the worldview
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of the Bible and of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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This worldview of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
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which is also the
worldview of the Bible,
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is composed of
two specific parts.
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Number one, the great
cosmic and universal controversy
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between good and
evil; that is the problem.
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And the second part of our
study will be how the Sanctuary
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service illustrates
the method that God uses
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to solve the universal
cosmic problem of evil.
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So basically, the problem is the
cosmic and universal conflict.
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And the solution is revealed
in the Sanctuary that God
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commanded Moses to build,
and then later on Solomon.
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Now there are several
biblical doctrines that the
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Seventh-day Adventist
Church shares in common
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with other churches.
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For example, we believe
in baptism by immersion.
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That is no unique.
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We believe in the vicarious
substitutionary sacrifice
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of Jesus Christ on the cross.
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We believe that
Jesus lived a perfect life;
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a life without sin.
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We believe that Jesus
resurrected from the dead,
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that He ascended to heaven,
and that He is interceding
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for those who come
to God through Him.
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Even some of the
distinctive doctrines of
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the Seventh-day Adventist
Church are also held in common
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by other churches.
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For example, the idea
that the dead are dead
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until the resurrection.
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There is one church,
the Jehovah's Witnesses,
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who believe in the same
way as Seventh-day Adventists
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on this particular doctrine.
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And then we have the
doctrine of the Sabbath.
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Once again, it's a
distinctive doctrine of the
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Seventh-day Adventist Church,
but it is not unique to the
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Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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Because there are Pentecostal
churches that observe
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the Sabbath, there are
the Seventh-day Baptist,
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of course the Jews
observe the Sabbath as well.
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So even though the Sabbath
is a distinctive doctrine of the
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Seventh-day Adventist
Church, it is not unique only to
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Seventh-day Adventists.
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And then we have the
doctrine of healthful living.
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You know, the Seventh-day
Adventist Church teaches
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that we're not suppose to smoke,
we're not suppose to drink,
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we're not suppose
to be doing drugs.
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And that's not unique to the
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Seventh-day
Adventist Church either.
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The Mormons, for example, have
very high health principles.
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And so even the
distinctive doctrines of the
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Seventh-day Adventist
Church are not unique to the
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Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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But there is one
theological concept
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that is exclusively and
uniquely Seventh-day Adventist.
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And that is the
doctrine of the Sanctuary.
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Particularly the work of
Jesus in the Most Holy Place
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of the heavenly Sanctuary.
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The Sanctuary is not
merely one of the doctrines of
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the Seventh-day Adventist
Church or of the Bible.
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It is the worldview of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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It is the concept that glues
together all of the doctrines
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in a beautiful system of truth.
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Each of the doctrines of
the Seventh-day Adventist Church
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are merely parts of a whole.
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In other words, the
Sanctuary brings together
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all of the doctrines of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
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in a beautiful Mosaic.
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So the Sanctuary is not
one doctrine among many.
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The Sanctuary is the
worldview that brings together
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in a unified whole all
of the doctrines of the
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Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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Ellen White clearly
stated the importance of
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the Sanctuary doctrine.
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In Letter 208, in the year 1906,
Ellen White expressed the very
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great importance of the
doctrine of the Sanctuary,
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or the concept of the Sanctuary.
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And I read...
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Notice that. Once again...
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And referring to the importance
of our belief that 1844
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marks the beginning
of the heavenly judgment,
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and speaking
specifically about Daniel 8:14,
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in the book, Great
Controversy, page 409,
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Ellen White
makes this statement...
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So notice Ellen White
refers to the Sanctuary doctrine
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as the foundation
and the central pillar
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of the advent movement of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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In other words, the Sanctuary
is not merely one of the
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building blocks of
Seventh-day Adventist theology.
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The Sanctuary is the foundation
of the entire building.
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In this series, we
are going to follow Jesus
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in the Sanctuary to the camp.
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Then we're going to follow
Him to the altar of sacrifice.
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Then we will
follow Him to the laver.
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Next we will go with
Jesus to the Holy Place,
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then to the Most Holy Place.
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And then at the end of
our series, we will go back
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to the court where you have
the famous scapegoat ceremony.
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We will notice that
each one of those places that
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Jesus moves to is
one part of the solution
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to the great cosmic and
universal problem of evil.
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We're going to understand
each function of Jesus
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and how each of
those functions helps solve
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the problem of evil
and clear the name of God
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that has been smeared
by Satan in the course
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of the last six thousand years.
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Now virtually all Christian
churches, if you should ask them
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why Jesus came to this world,
they would most likely tell you
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that Jesus came to this
world to save human beings.
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And I would say that is
one of the reasons why Jesus
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came to this world.
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But there is a much broader
and deeper reason why Jesus
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came to this world.
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I would like to read a statement
that we find in that classic
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book, Patriarchs and Prophets.
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It's one of my favorite
books written by Ellen White.
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It provides the history of,
actually not only the world,
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it begins with the
origin of evil in heaven.
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And then it traces the
history of the Old Testament
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up to the time
of the Hebrew kings.
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And in this
statement, Ellen White explains
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the tremendous
importance of understanding
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why Jesus came to
this world in its broadest
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and deepest sense.
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I'm reading now from, Patriarchs
and Prophets, pages 68-69.
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Did you catch that?
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Once again...
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Not only to save man.
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That is the
broadest and deepest reason
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for the plan of salvation.
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Once again...
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Because His character
has been smeared by an enemy.
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She continues writing...
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Now some versions say, "I
will draw all men unto Me."
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The word, "men," is
not in the original.
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What Jesus is saying,
"I will draw all unto Me."
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Heaven and earth,
the whole universe,
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would be drawn to Jesus
through the plan of salvation.
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And then she ends
this statement by saying...
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So the deepest and broadest
purpose of the plan of salvation
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is not to save man, but
in the process of saving man,
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to vindicate or
exonerate the character of God
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before the universe.
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To clear up all of those smears
that the enemy has launched
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against God.
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So we are dealing
with a much broader problem
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than just sin in this world.
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The great controversy
between good and evil
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is not confined to
this atom of a world.
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The problem is
cosmic and universal.
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That is to say, the
entire universe is involved
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in this problem of evil.
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God has permitted
what has been happening
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during the last six
thousand years because He wants,
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in the process, to
exonerate His character.
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You see, the Bible
tells us that the conflict
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did not even
originate here on this earth.
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The Bible tells us that the
conflict between good and evil
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originated in heaven in
the very presence of God.
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The purpose of the plan
of salvation is to vaccinate
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the universe against
the possibility of sin ever
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rising again in the future.
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That is, God has
permitted the existence of sin.
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God has allowed Satan
to develop the principles
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of his kingdom because God
has in mind the eternal security
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of the universe.
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You see, God does not implement
quick solutions to problems
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that temporarily
solve the problem.
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Us humans usually
want quick solutions.
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For example, if we have a
headache, we'll take a Tylenol.
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But we don't really deal
with what caused the headache,
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which is the real problem.
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Because we want our
problem solved quickly.
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God does not do that type
of thing with the universal
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and cosmic problem of evil.
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God takes His time.
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Because He is not
going to leave any loose ends
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when sin comes to an end.
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Sin will never rise again
in the universe because God has
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allowed sin to develop during
the last six thousand years.
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When the problem is solved,
it will be solved eternally
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and universally.
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And the Bible says that evil
will not rise a second time.
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So as we study this,
we're going to see that
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God has allowed sin to
take its course, to ripen,
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to mature, so that
we could understand
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the difference
between the character of Satan
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and the character of God.
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Now on Mount Sinai, God
showed Moses a scale model
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of the heavenly Sanctuary
and told Moses to build
00:14:08.28\00:14:12.21
a copy of the scale model.
00:14:12.41\00:14:15.28
Now God did not show
Moses at the top of the mount
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the heavenly Sanctuary.
00:14:19.55\00:14:20.89
Because the
heavenly Sanctuary is huge.
00:14:20.92\00:14:22.26
It's much larger than
the earthly Sanctuary,
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than any Sanctuary
that was built here.
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What God showed Moses
was a scale model of the
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heavenly Sanctuary, and
told Moses, "I want you to build
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the Sanctuary
according to the scale model,
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which is a miniature
copy or shadow of the true
00:14:35.67\00:14:39.77
and original
Sanctuary in heaven."
00:14:39.81\00:14:42.71
In other words, the earthly
Sanctuary is a reflection
00:14:42.81\00:14:45.61
of the heavenly Sanctuary.
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It is a miniature of
the heavenly Sanctuary.
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A scale model, if you please,
of the heavenly Sanctuary.
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After the author of Hebrews,
after the writer of Hebrews
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described the services
of the earthly Sanctuary,
00:14:58.99\00:15:02.26
he stated the following...
00:15:02.60\00:15:04.17
This is found in Hebrews 8:5.
00:15:04.20\00:15:07.50
He's just described
the ministration in the
00:15:07.54\00:15:09.87
earthly Sanctuary,
and then he says this...
00:15:09.90\00:15:12.51
In other words, what
happened on earth was
00:15:17.38\00:15:20.02
a copy and a shadow
of the heavenly things.
00:15:20.05\00:15:23.79
So he was shown a pattern
of the heavenly Sanctuary.
00:15:35.13\00:15:38.73
So basically what this is saying
is that the earthly Sanctuary
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has its counterpart in
the heavenly Sanctuary,
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which is much
larger and much greater
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than the earthly Sanctuary.
00:15:49.78\00:15:51.65
Now this is an important detail
in the series of studies that
00:15:52.21\00:15:56.79
we are going to have
together in this place.
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I'd like to invite you to
go with me to Exodus 25:19-20.
00:15:59.25\00:16:04.56
Exodus 25:19-20
00:16:04.76\00:16:07.93
And we're going to take a
look at the description of the
00:16:08.36\00:16:11.37
Most Holy Place
of the Sanctuary.
00:16:11.40\00:16:15.10
And we're going to
deal, first of all, with
00:16:15.14\00:16:16.67
the earthly Sanctuary.
00:16:16.71\00:16:18.21
Exodus 25:19-20 is describing
the ark of the covenant.
00:16:18.57\00:16:24.88
I'm sure that you've all heard
about the ark of the covenant.
00:16:24.91\00:16:27.48
And it tells us there, and
we're going to read the text
00:16:27.85\00:16:30.35
in a few moments, that at each
side of the ark of the covenant
00:16:30.39\00:16:37.23
was what is known as a cherub.
00:16:37.46\00:16:40.03
On one side there was a
cherub, and on the other side
00:16:40.06\00:16:42.93
there was a cherub.
00:16:43.16\00:16:44.50
And in the middle at
the very cover of the ark
00:16:44.53\00:16:49.04
was what is known
as the mercy seat.
00:16:49.14\00:16:51.14
That's where the glory of
God descended upon the ark.
00:16:51.17\00:16:54.34
It represented the
throne of God, in other word.
00:16:54.71\00:16:58.15
Now let's read Exodus 25:19-20
where this ark of the covenant
00:16:58.18\00:17:05.45
is described with the two
cherubs, one on each side.
00:17:05.49\00:17:09.06
It says here, and God
is speaking to Moses...
00:17:09.76\00:17:12.06
Now this is an important detail.
00:17:28.18\00:17:30.15
"And the cherubim shall..."
00:17:30.18\00:17:31.51
And what's the next word?
00:17:33.68\00:17:35.38
"...covering..."
That's an important word.
00:17:36.48\00:17:38.39
That's why they're
called, covering cherubs.
00:17:38.42\00:17:41.19
It's because their
wings covered the mercy seat.
00:17:41.22\00:17:44.09
So once again it says...
00:17:44.13\00:17:45.46
So you can
imagine what this is like.
00:17:58.47\00:18:00.78
You have the
ark of the covenant.
00:18:00.81\00:18:02.14
The cover of the ark of
the covenant where the glory
00:18:02.21\00:18:04.65
of God was manifested.
00:18:04.68\00:18:06.18
At each side of the ark of the
covenant is one of the cherubs,
00:18:06.38\00:18:10.49
or the two cherubim.
00:18:10.52\00:18:12.29
And between, you
have a representation
00:18:12.59\00:18:15.62
of the throne of God.
00:18:15.72\00:18:17.13
You say, "How do we know that?"
00:18:17.16\00:18:18.49
Well go with me to Psalm 80:1.
00:18:18.53\00:18:21.70
Psalm 80:1 tells us where
God dwells in the Sanctuary.
00:18:21.73\00:18:26.00
It says there in Psalm 80:1...
00:18:26.47\00:18:29.74
So where does God dwell?
00:18:43.52\00:18:44.85
He dwells between the cherubim.
00:18:45.09\00:18:47.56
And what was
between the cherubim?
00:18:47.66\00:18:49.62
The mercy seat.
00:18:49.96\00:18:51.29
And that's where the
glory of God descended
00:18:51.66\00:18:53.93
in the earthly Sanctuary.
00:18:53.96\00:18:55.30
It fell on the mercy
seat between the two cherubs.
00:18:55.33\00:18:59.03
Now there's another
detail that I want us to notice
00:18:59.27\00:19:01.70
about the earthly Sanctuary.
00:19:01.74\00:19:03.81
And that is that
underneath the mercy seat
00:19:04.11\00:19:07.78
were the tables that
contained the ten commandments.
00:19:08.01\00:19:10.55
Notice Deuteronomy 10:5.
00:19:10.58\00:19:13.95
Deuteronomy 10 verse
5 tells us very clearly
00:19:14.15\00:19:17.45
that beneath the mercy seat...
00:19:17.55\00:19:19.55
And this is why we believe
that the ten commandments
00:19:19.59\00:19:21.92
are the
foundation of God's throne,
00:19:21.96\00:19:24.66
they're underneath
God's throne, in other words.
00:19:24.69\00:19:27.43
It's because the tables of the
law were under the mercy seat.
00:19:27.46\00:19:31.13
It says there in
Deuteronomy 10:5...
00:19:31.17\00:19:33.54
This is Moses speaking.
00:19:35.24\00:19:36.57
So are you catching the
picture of the Most Holy Place?
00:19:47.75\00:19:50.12
Once again, you have
the ark of the covenant.
00:19:50.32\00:19:52.62
In the middle, the mercy
seat representing God's throne.
00:19:52.85\00:19:56.16
Because He dwelt
between the cherubim.
00:19:56.19\00:19:58.03
At each side of the
ark there was a cherub.
00:19:58.06\00:20:01.40
And underneath the mercy seat,
the foundation of God's throne,
00:20:01.60\00:20:05.67
were the ten
commandments of God's holy law.
00:20:05.87\00:20:08.47
Now another important
point that we need to realize
00:20:09.07\00:20:11.47
is that inside the
Sanctuary there were angels
00:20:11.51\00:20:15.08
embroidered on all of the
curtains of the Sanctuary.
00:20:15.11\00:20:18.38
In other words,
God's throne is surrounded,
00:20:18.41\00:20:21.08
not only by the two
cherubs, but by millions
00:20:21.12\00:20:24.22
and millions of angels.
00:20:24.25\00:20:25.89
I want you to go
with me to Job 38:4-7.
00:20:25.99\00:20:30.13
You see, God, before
He created this world,
00:20:30.33\00:20:32.49
created millions
and millions of angels.
00:20:32.53\00:20:35.10
The Bible refers to them as
ten thousand times ten thousand
00:20:35.40\00:20:39.97
and thousands of thousands.
00:20:40.20\00:20:41.84
Because there was no
word for million in Greek.
00:20:41.87\00:20:44.14
And so all you could
do was multiply thousands.
00:20:44.17\00:20:46.88
But basically, this means that
there were millions and millions
00:20:46.98\00:20:49.84
of angels that
were created by God.
00:20:49.88\00:20:51.95
Now there's a
very important point.
00:20:52.11\00:20:53.72
If you asked some Christians
today who the angels are,
00:20:54.15\00:20:58.62
they probably will tell
you that they are the spirits
00:20:58.82\00:21:01.36
of the departed that come
back to help human beings.
00:21:01.39\00:21:04.89
That is a false idea
that is contrary to Scripture.
00:21:05.16\00:21:08.96
Because the Bible tells
us that the angels existed
00:21:09.06\00:21:11.87
before this world did.
00:21:11.90\00:21:13.64
Let's read it, Job 38:4-7.
00:21:13.67\00:21:17.21
Job 38:4-7
00:21:17.24\00:21:19.97
Here, God asked Job
a series of questions.
00:21:20.28\00:21:24.91
And I want you to
notice how verse 7 ends
00:21:25.25\00:21:27.35
after we read the questions.
00:21:27.38\00:21:29.58
It says there in verse 4...
00:21:29.62\00:21:31.45
God is speaking
somewhat sarcastically to Job.
00:21:42.93\00:21:45.33
What event is being
described in these questions?
00:21:53.64\00:21:56.64
Clearly it is what?
00:21:56.88\00:21:58.38
It is creation.
00:21:58.68\00:22:00.02
But now notice verse 7.
00:22:00.75\00:22:02.48
It says that when God
created the universe...
00:22:02.68\00:22:05.49
So did these stars of
heaven and the sons of God exist
00:22:12.76\00:22:17.17
when this world was created?
00:22:17.37\00:22:18.93
Absolutely.
00:22:18.97\00:22:20.30
They are not the spirits
of departed human beings.
00:22:20.34\00:22:22.97
The angels are a
separate class of beings that
00:22:23.00\00:22:26.07
God created long before
the creation of this world.
00:22:26.11\00:22:30.91
Incidentally, the stars in
the Bible represent angels.
00:22:31.18\00:22:35.68
So when it says the
morning stars sang together,
00:22:35.72\00:22:39.52
it's saying
that the angels sang.
00:22:39.55\00:22:41.19
You say, "Well, where
does the Bible say that?"
00:22:41.22\00:22:43.02
Revelation 1:20
00:22:43.36\00:22:44.96
We don't have time to
read all of these verses.
00:22:44.99\00:22:47.20
I hope that
you'll write them down.
00:22:47.30\00:22:49.26
Revelation 1:20 clearly
says that the seven stars
00:22:49.30\00:22:52.83
related to the
churches represent seven angels.
00:22:53.47\00:22:57.24
And of course, Revelation
12:4 says that the devil
00:22:57.37\00:23:01.58
took a third of the
stars of heaven with him,
00:23:01.78\00:23:04.38
which represents the angels.
00:23:04.41\00:23:06.01
So the stars of heaven represent
the angels, the morning stars.
00:23:06.21\00:23:09.88
What is
represented by the sons of God?
00:23:10.12\00:23:12.82
I don't have time to get
into the details regarding this,
00:23:13.42\00:23:15.99
but the sons of God are the
representatives of the worlds
00:23:16.02\00:23:19.49
that never sinned.
00:23:19.53\00:23:20.86
You say, "Well
how do you know that?"
00:23:21.16\00:23:22.63
Well, I'll just
give you one inkling.
00:23:22.86\00:23:24.53
You remember once upon a
time in the book of Job it says
00:23:24.73\00:23:27.70
that God had a meeting
in heaven where He called
00:23:27.74\00:23:30.51
all of the sons of God to
come to that heavenly meeting.
00:23:30.54\00:23:33.34
Who came among the sons of God?
00:23:33.54\00:23:35.71
Satan came
among the sons of God.
00:23:37.08\00:23:39.61
Now where did Satan come from?
00:23:39.91\00:23:41.75
He says, "I
came from the earth."
00:23:42.35\00:23:44.39
So why is he in that meeting?
00:23:44.52\00:23:46.39
Who should have
been in that meeting?
00:23:46.42\00:23:47.82
Adam should have been
in that meeting because
00:23:48.16\00:23:49.72
he was the father and
representative of the race.
00:23:49.76\00:23:51.93
But when Satan conquered Adam,
he took the place that Adam had.
00:23:52.03\00:23:57.43
And so Satan
goes to that meeting
00:23:57.47\00:23:59.20
representing this planet.
00:23:59.23\00:24:00.64
So let me ask you, if Satan
goes there as the representative
00:24:00.67\00:24:05.74
of planet earth, who
must the other sons of God be?
00:24:05.77\00:24:09.21
They must be
representatives of other worlds.
00:24:09.24\00:24:12.05
And incidentally, we know that
these are not common angels.
00:24:12.41\00:24:16.08
Because the Bible tells
us that they came to present
00:24:16.18\00:24:19.69
themselves before the Lord.
00:24:19.72\00:24:21.06
The angels are in the
presence of the Lord always.
00:24:21.09\00:24:23.09
But these come from
some place to present
00:24:23.22\00:24:25.36
themselves before the Lord.
00:24:25.39\00:24:26.73
And after the first meeting they
go back to where they came from.
00:24:26.76\00:24:30.47
And then there's a
second meeting, and it says
00:24:30.50\00:24:32.23
again they come to present
themselves before the Lord.
00:24:32.27\00:24:34.87
They're coming from
different parts of the universe.
00:24:34.90\00:24:37.44
So basically, what this is
telling us is that all of the
00:24:37.47\00:24:41.28
heavenly universe, the
angels, and the representatives
00:24:41.31\00:24:44.88
of worlds that never
sinned sang for joy when God
00:24:44.91\00:24:48.88
created this world.
00:24:48.92\00:24:50.82
Now the Bible tells us
that there was one angel
00:24:51.35\00:24:54.02
that was above all
of the other angels.
00:24:54.06\00:24:57.46
He was
beautiful and he was wise.
00:24:57.89\00:25:00.86
Ezekiel 28:12 describes him.
00:25:01.33\00:25:04.20
He's known as Lucifer.
00:25:04.23\00:25:06.07
Ezekiel 28:12, God speaking
about this being, Lucifer,
00:25:06.47\00:25:11.34
states the following...
00:25:11.37\00:25:12.81
Notice the
description of this being.
00:25:20.48\00:25:22.78
All wise and just
absolutely beautiful.
00:25:22.82\00:25:26.55
The Bible tells us exactly
what the function of this
00:25:27.16\00:25:30.53
angel above all angels was.
00:25:30.56\00:25:32.96
Notice verse 14 of Ezekiel 28.
00:25:33.06\00:25:35.93
Verse 14 tells us what the
position of this angel was,
00:25:35.96\00:25:40.84
this angel which was
the leader of the angels.
00:25:40.87\00:25:43.61
In fact, some people
think that he was the director
00:25:43.64\00:25:45.87
of the heavenly choirs
because musical instruments
00:25:45.91\00:25:49.18
were created for him
the day that he was created.
00:25:49.21\00:25:52.08
It says there in
Ezekiel 28:14 what the function
00:25:52.11\00:25:56.38
of this angel was.
00:25:56.42\00:25:58.25
Now did we notice
something about covering cherubs
00:26:04.09\00:26:06.36
some other place?
00:26:06.39\00:26:07.73
Now we're talking
about the original.
00:26:07.76\00:26:09.56
We're not
talking about the copy.
00:26:09.76\00:26:11.50
We're not talking about angels
that are made out of gold,
00:26:11.70\00:26:14.50
you know, on the
mercy seat covering,
00:26:14.70\00:26:17.11
and just the glory of
God coming down upon the ark.
00:26:17.14\00:26:20.41
We're talking about the
real Sanctuary in heaven.
00:26:20.44\00:26:22.78
And we're told here
that this being was one of
00:26:23.18\00:26:27.42
the two covering cherubs.
00:26:27.45\00:26:28.98
It says, "You are
the cherub who covers."
00:26:29.02\00:26:31.59
So must there be
an ark of the covenant
00:26:31.62\00:26:33.66
in the heavenly Sanctuary?
00:26:33.69\00:26:35.09
Absolutely.
00:26:35.29\00:26:36.62
In fact, the
Bible tells us there is.
00:26:36.66\00:26:38.29
In Revelation 11:19 it
says the temple of God was
00:26:38.33\00:26:41.70
opened in heaven and
the ark of His testament
00:26:41.73\00:26:44.83
was seen in His temple.
00:26:44.87\00:26:46.50
So we know that in
heaven there is a temple,
00:26:46.53\00:26:49.50
and there is an
ark of the covenant.
00:26:49.54\00:26:51.37
And originally
there were two cherubs.
00:26:51.51\00:26:53.91
And one of those
cherubs was called Lucifer.
00:26:53.94\00:26:58.08
He's called, the
anointed cherub who covers.
00:26:58.11\00:27:01.35
And there, God dwelt
between the cherubim.
00:27:01.52\00:27:04.82
Like we read in Psalm 80:1.
00:27:04.85\00:27:08.02
But there came a
moment in which this angel
00:27:09.02\00:27:12.96
known as Lucifer was filled
unexplainably with jealousy
00:27:12.99\00:27:19.80
and with envy
against Jesus Christ.
00:27:19.90\00:27:23.24
Sin raised its ugly
head first in heaven,
00:27:23.51\00:27:27.48
not on earth.
00:27:27.78\00:27:29.11
The problem of sin is cosmic.
00:27:29.14\00:27:31.31
It begins in heaven above
in the very presence of God.
00:27:31.41\00:27:36.08
The story of the
rebellion of this majestic angel
00:27:36.95\00:27:40.56
is sad and astounding.
00:27:40.59\00:27:42.79
You see, Jesus sat at
the right hand of His Father
00:27:43.12\00:27:46.29
on the throne and shared all
the mysteries of the kingdom,
00:27:46.63\00:27:50.50
including the Father explaining
to Him and sharing with Him
00:27:50.53\00:27:54.17
the plan of creation.
00:27:54.20\00:27:56.07
In fact, the Bible tells us
that everything in the universe
00:27:56.10\00:27:58.54
was created by the
Father through Jesus.
00:27:58.57\00:28:01.11
Jesus had an intimate
fellowship with His Father.
00:28:01.34\00:28:04.01
His Father shared the
secrets of the kingdom with Him.
00:28:04.05\00:28:07.08
The Bible tells us that
Lucifer was filled with jealousy
00:28:08.18\00:28:11.85
because Jesus was
consulted and he wasn't.
00:28:11.89\00:28:14.92
Because Jesus had a
special intimacy with the
00:28:15.09\00:28:17.49
Father and he did not.
00:28:17.53\00:28:18.86
Because the Father
shared secrets with Jesus
00:28:18.89\00:28:21.20
that He did not share with
Lucifer and the other angels.
00:28:21.30\00:28:24.43
Ellen White describes
this in a magnificent way in,
00:28:24.47\00:28:28.74
Early Writings, page 145.
00:28:28.77\00:28:31.31
You've read that
in Genesis, right?
00:29:01.80\00:29:03.30
Now we know who
was speaking to whom.
00:29:03.41\00:29:05.11
The Father was
speaking to the Son.
00:29:05.14\00:29:07.04
Envious and jealous of Jesus,
the position that Jesus had
00:29:33.13\00:29:37.61
at the right hand of the Father.
00:29:37.64\00:29:39.81
And so Lucifer came up
with a plan that he was going to
00:29:40.34\00:29:43.21
overthrow God from His throne.
00:29:43.24\00:29:45.98
We find that in Isaiah 14:12-14.
00:29:46.01\00:29:49.98
Isaiah 14:12-14
00:29:50.02\00:29:52.69
Here it says,
speaking of Lucifer...
00:29:53.42\00:29:55.59
And notice what his problem is.
00:29:59.09\00:30:00.63
He had a severe
"I" problem, didn't he?
00:30:19.05\00:30:20.98
It's called
myopia, nearsightedness.
00:30:21.38\00:30:23.55
All he could see was himself.
00:30:23.59\00:30:25.05
So sin in its
origin is selfishness.
00:30:26.59\00:30:31.39
So he said, "I'm going
to be like the Most High.
00:30:31.43\00:30:34.20
I'm going to occupy the
place of the Most High."
00:30:34.23\00:30:37.23
But Lucifer knew that alone he
could not accomplish anything.
00:30:37.87\00:30:41.84
So he decided to
implant his spirit in the minds
00:30:42.07\00:30:45.94
of the heavenly angels.
00:30:46.04\00:30:47.94
He needed to gain sympathizers
or co-conspirators with him
00:30:48.21\00:30:52.85
in order to be successful.
00:30:52.95\00:30:54.55
Because he knew that
with just one, just himself,
00:30:54.58\00:30:57.89
it was not going to be possible.
00:30:57.92\00:30:59.55
Now in order to gain supporters
and fellow conspirators,
00:30:59.75\00:31:04.09
of course he needed
to smear and tarnish
00:31:04.19\00:31:07.50
the reputation of God.
00:31:07.53\00:31:09.13
He needed to make
God's government look bad.
00:31:09.53\00:31:13.97
And of course, for
this he had to use deceit,
00:31:14.00\00:31:16.84
he had to use lies.
00:31:16.87\00:31:18.24
Because we know that
God and His government
00:31:18.47\00:31:20.88
are holy, just, and good.
00:31:20.91\00:31:24.98
And God is love, and God
is mercy, and God is justice.
00:31:25.31\00:31:28.45
Everything about God is good.
00:31:28.48\00:31:30.32
But Lucifer had to implant in
the ideas of the heavenly beings
00:31:30.72\00:31:35.36
the idea that God's
government was despotic,
00:31:35.39\00:31:38.23
that God could not be
trusted, that God was not love,
00:31:38.26\00:31:41.70
that God wasn't just,
that God keeps secrets,
00:31:41.73\00:31:44.70
that God is selfish.
00:31:44.73\00:31:46.07
He had to tarnish and
smear the reputation of God.
00:31:46.10\00:31:50.74
The Bible tells us very
clearly that this is exactly
00:31:51.61\00:31:54.94
what Lucifer did.
00:31:54.98\00:31:56.31
Notice John 8:44
where it's speaking about
00:31:56.34\00:32:00.05
the nature of Lucifer
at the very beginning.
00:32:00.08\00:32:03.12
By the way, later he
becomes the devil or Satan,
00:32:03.15\00:32:06.52
the ancient serpent.
00:32:06.62\00:32:07.96
He has many less than
desirable names later on.
00:32:08.06\00:32:11.46
Notice John 8:44.
00:32:11.69\00:32:13.83
Here, Jesus is
speaking to the Jews of His day.
00:32:14.30\00:32:16.87
Speaking about Satan.
00:32:33.11\00:32:34.45
So since when is Satan a liar?
00:32:41.59\00:32:44.63
From the very
beginning he's a liar.
00:32:44.66\00:32:46.90
From the very time
that he was in heaven.
00:32:47.00\00:32:49.16
Now go with me to Ezekiel 28:16.
00:32:49.60\00:32:53.23
Ezekiel 28:16
00:32:53.27\00:32:55.27
This is an interesting verse.
00:32:55.30\00:32:56.64
You know, for a long time I
struggled with the meaning of
00:32:56.67\00:32:59.77
one particular
word in this verse.
00:32:59.81\00:33:01.74
It says there...
00:33:01.81\00:33:03.14
And by the way, this is
speaking about the king of Tyre.
00:33:03.18\00:33:06.01
Tyre was one of the commercial
centers in the ancient world.
00:33:06.11\00:33:09.38
There was much
commerce on ships at that time.
00:33:09.42\00:33:12.89
Notice Ezekiel 28:16.
00:33:13.09\00:33:15.96
This is speaking about Lucifer.
00:33:20.23\00:33:21.70
So notice, "By the abundance
of your trading," it says,
00:33:36.75\00:33:40.52
"you were filled with violence
within, and you sinned."
00:33:40.55\00:33:43.12
Now what does that mean, "By
the abundance of your trading"?
00:33:43.25\00:33:46.82
What was Lucifer
trading in heaven?
00:33:46.99\00:33:50.73
Well, the word, "trading,"
is a commercial term, isn't it?
00:33:51.79\00:33:55.50
We use it for the
world of commerce.
00:33:55.66\00:33:58.37
Now what was Satan
trying to trade in heaven?
00:33:58.97\00:34:03.94
Well even today we use
figuratively commercial terms
00:34:04.24\00:34:08.64
when we speak about an
individual who tries to
00:34:08.68\00:34:11.55
convince us that something
is the truth and we don't really
00:34:11.58\00:34:14.72
believe it's the truth.
00:34:14.75\00:34:16.08
Have you ever heard the
expression, "I'm not buying it"?
00:34:16.12\00:34:18.82
Somebody tells you something
and you have a hard time
00:34:20.86\00:34:23.06
believing it, you
say, "I'm not buying it."
00:34:23.09\00:34:25.19
In fact, I looked
the figurative meaning
00:34:25.23\00:34:28.46
of the word,
"trading," or, "buying,"
00:34:28.50\00:34:31.53
and this is one
of the definitions:
00:34:31.70\00:34:33.64
"Trying to get someone
to believe your story."
00:34:33.74\00:34:36.84
So what was
Lucifer doing in heaven?
00:34:37.17\00:34:38.87
He was trading lies.
00:34:38.91\00:34:40.31
In other words, he was trying to
sell lies to the heavenly angels
00:34:40.34\00:34:44.55
about God and his character.
00:34:44.58\00:34:46.68
Incidentally, the root word
that is used here, "trading,"
00:34:46.98\00:34:51.15
is used in two other text
which I want us to notice now.
00:34:51.19\00:34:54.39
Ezekiel 22:9
00:34:54.52\00:34:56.02
The very same root word, but
it's not translated the same.
00:34:56.06\00:34:59.46
Notice Ezekiel 22:9.
00:34:59.59\00:35:02.23
It says, speaking
about Israel, it says...
00:35:02.96\00:35:07.67
That word, "slander,"
is the same root word.
00:35:12.97\00:35:15.84
What is slander?
00:35:15.88\00:35:17.21
Does slander
have to do with lying?
00:35:17.25\00:35:18.95
You better believe it.
00:35:19.18\00:35:20.52
So it says...
00:35:20.55\00:35:21.88
And then Leviticus 19:16 uses
the same root word, "trading."
00:35:29.69\00:35:35.26
And it doesn't
translate it, "slander."
00:35:35.50\00:35:37.73
It uses another word.
00:35:37.77\00:35:39.13
God is speaking to Israel
about not being talebearers.
00:35:39.33\00:35:43.17
It says there...
00:35:43.34\00:35:44.67
The same root word.
00:35:48.98\00:35:50.41
So what does trading mean?
00:35:50.71\00:35:52.45
It means, to slander,
and it means to be a what?
00:35:52.65\00:35:56.52
It means, to be a talebearer.
00:35:56.79\00:35:59.49
That's exactly what
Lucifer was doing in heaven.
00:35:59.52\00:36:02.39
He was slandering
God, he was libeling God,
00:36:02.59\00:36:06.06
he was trying to smear
the good character of God.
00:36:06.09\00:36:09.40
And the Bible tells us
that a third of the angels
00:36:10.00\00:36:12.27
bought the lie.
00:36:12.37\00:36:14.34
Now, one of the great
attacks of Lucifer against God
00:36:14.87\00:36:18.84
was against His holy law.
00:36:18.87\00:36:20.84
Many Christians
believe that the law had its
00:36:21.51\00:36:23.41
beginning at Mount Sinai.
00:36:23.45\00:36:24.91
That's not true.
00:36:25.51\00:36:26.85
Notice Ezekiel 28:16 once again.
00:36:27.55\00:36:31.62
Notice, Lucifer what?
00:36:39.39\00:36:41.46
Sinned.
00:36:41.56\00:36:42.90
So it says that
Lucifer sinned where?
00:36:51.97\00:36:54.34
In heaven he sinned.
00:36:54.64\00:36:56.11
Now, of course, we
need to ask the question,
00:36:56.44\00:36:57.98
if he sinned, what is sin?
00:36:58.01\00:37:00.02
Well the Bible
tells us what sin is.
00:37:00.18\00:37:02.28
1 John 3, we will read verse
4 and then we will read verse 8.
00:37:02.38\00:37:08.99
1 John 3:4, 8
00:37:09.02\00:37:12.26
I like the King James
translation; "Sin is..." What?
00:37:20.44\00:37:23.67
"...the
transgression of the law."
00:37:23.71\00:37:25.67
So was there a law
to transgress in heaven?
00:37:25.77\00:37:28.58
Of course, because
Lucifer what? Sinned.
00:37:28.78\00:37:31.55
And sin is the
transgression of the law.
00:37:31.58\00:37:34.88
So the law did not
begin at Mount Sinai.
00:37:34.92\00:37:37.59
Incidentally, you remember
that in the earthly Sanctuary
00:37:37.75\00:37:40.96
inside the ark were
the tables of the law?
00:37:41.26\00:37:43.89
Now the earthly Sanctuary
was a copy of the heavenly.
00:37:44.39\00:37:46.80
Do you suppose that
the heavenly also has
00:37:46.83\00:37:49.16
the tables of the ten
commandments if the earthly
00:37:49.20\00:37:51.60
is a reflection of the heavenly?
00:37:51.63\00:37:53.10
Of course.
00:37:53.13\00:37:54.47
Notice Revelation 11:19.
00:37:54.67\00:37:57.34
I've mentioned
this verse before.
00:37:57.37\00:37:58.97
Do you know why it's
called, the ark of His covenant?
00:38:04.95\00:38:07.02
Because the covenant
is the ten commandments.
00:38:07.05\00:38:09.38
So in other words, in
heaven there's an ark.
00:38:09.85\00:38:11.92
And the ark contains
the ten commandments.
00:38:11.95\00:38:13.56
The earth had an ark and the ten
commandments were in it as well.
00:38:13.66\00:38:18.29
So this covering cherub on
one side of the throne of God
00:38:18.46\00:38:23.20
had a issue with
God's commandments.
00:38:23.30\00:38:27.47
Now what were Satan's
arguments against God?
00:38:27.57\00:38:30.84
I want you to
remember his arguments because
00:38:32.01\00:38:34.04
in a moment we're going to
come back to those arguments
00:38:34.08\00:38:36.21
in Genesis 3.
00:38:36.44\00:38:37.78
Do you know the devil
used the same method on earth
00:38:37.81\00:38:39.78
to deceive Adam and
Eve as he used in heaven?
00:38:39.81\00:38:41.78
The very same methods.
00:38:41.82\00:38:43.15
And we're going to notice that.
00:38:43.25\00:38:44.65
So remember the arguments
that I'm going to go through now
00:38:44.69\00:38:47.86
that Lucifer used
against God in heaven, because
00:38:47.89\00:38:50.03
we're going to
encounter those again when
00:38:50.06\00:38:52.29
Satan comes to
tempt Adam and Eve.
00:38:52.39\00:38:54.80
First, "God is a respecter of
persons," is what Lucifer said.
00:38:55.83\00:39:01.27
"He plays favorites.
00:39:01.67\00:39:03.81
He consulted His Son,
but He does not consult
00:39:04.21\00:39:07.44
all of us, the angels.
00:39:07.48\00:39:09.31
We do not have the same
privileges as Jesus does.
00:39:09.41\00:39:13.92
Jesus receives
special treatment."
00:39:13.95\00:39:16.82
In other words, God actually
is a respecter of persons.
00:39:16.85\00:39:22.52
Another argument which Lucifer
used is that God keeps secrets
00:39:22.76\00:39:27.53
that only His Son can know.
00:39:27.76\00:39:30.53
And He doesn't want anybody
else to know those secrets.
00:39:30.63\00:39:33.60
So God keeps secrets.
00:39:33.64\00:39:36.04
Another thing that he
argued against God is that
00:39:36.67\00:39:38.77
the law of God
takes away freedom.
00:39:38.81\00:39:40.74
It restricts our liberty.
00:39:40.78\00:39:42.54
I want to read you a
couple of statements.
00:39:42.84\00:39:44.38
One from,
Patriarchs and Prophets,
00:39:44.41\00:39:46.15
and the other from,
Great Controversy, page 499.
00:39:46.18\00:39:49.65
The one in, Patriarchs
and Prophets, page 37, says...
00:39:50.09\00:39:53.19
"He..." That is Lucifer.
00:39:53.42\00:39:54.76
Now listen carefully.
00:40:10.81\00:40:12.14
They didn't need God
to tell them what to do.
00:40:14.64\00:40:16.85
Their own wisdom
would tell them what to do.
00:40:16.88\00:40:19.01
She continues writing...
00:40:19.51\00:40:20.98
Are you catching the picture?
00:40:58.99\00:41:00.32
An attack against God's
law saying it's restrictive
00:41:00.49\00:41:04.59
and wanting to get rid of it.
00:41:04.69\00:41:06.29
Great Controversy, page
499, is the other statement.
00:41:07.03\00:41:10.17
"He..." That is Lucifer.
00:41:10.47\00:41:11.80
Remember that. They
should be left to what?
00:41:18.77\00:41:21.11
To follow their own will.
00:41:21.34\00:41:22.71
In other words, "God doesn't
have to tell us what's right.
00:41:24.58\00:41:27.52
You know, from inside we'll know
what's right and what's wrong."
00:41:27.55\00:41:31.52
She continues writing...
00:41:32.65\00:41:33.99
Are we hearing sermons
from the pulpits today where
00:41:45.43\00:41:47.90
they're saying that
the law was abolished
00:41:47.94\00:41:49.67
or nailed to the cross?
00:41:49.70\00:41:51.04
Absolutely.
Where does that start?
00:41:51.07\00:41:53.04
It starts in heaven.
00:41:53.07\00:41:54.41
Those are almost identical
to the words that Ellen White
00:42:09.76\00:42:12.99
describes when
she talks about Eve.
00:42:13.03\00:42:14.56
She felt when she ate from
the tree that she was entering
00:42:14.60\00:42:18.03
a more exalted
sphere of existence.
00:42:18.07\00:42:21.34
But then, of course, she landed.
00:42:21.37\00:42:23.44
Another argument of
Lucifer against God is that
00:42:27.18\00:42:29.38
God is selfish.
00:42:29.41\00:42:30.75
He wants everybody
to do what He says.
00:42:31.45\00:42:33.52
He wants
everybody to be a slave.
00:42:34.42\00:42:36.42
He doesn't want to serve anyone.
00:42:37.52\00:42:38.85
He doesn't lift one
finger to serve anyone.
00:42:38.89\00:42:41.29
He wants everybody to serve Him.
00:42:41.32\00:42:43.12
And then finally an argument
that Lucifer used is that
00:42:43.66\00:42:46.33
God is absolute justice.
00:42:46.36\00:42:48.83
If you don't obey God's
law, His justice will require
00:42:48.86\00:42:53.27
your destruction.
00:42:53.47\00:42:54.80
There's no room
for mercy and grace.
00:42:55.17\00:42:57.67
"If you disobey, death
is absolutely certain,"
00:42:57.71\00:43:01.04
is what Lucifer
said to the angels.
00:43:01.08\00:43:02.64
No room for mercy and for grace.
00:43:02.68\00:43:05.18
Now the question is, why didn't
God destroy Lucifer right away?
00:43:05.71\00:43:09.78
Why did He allow sin
and evil to continue?
00:43:09.82\00:43:13.62
Folks, it was necessary for
God to give time for Lucifer
00:43:14.09\00:43:19.29
to develop his
plan of government
00:43:19.33\00:43:22.26
so that everybody
could see where his arguments
00:43:22.30\00:43:26.30
would ultimately lead.
00:43:26.33\00:43:28.40
Only in this way could
Satan's arguments be fully
00:43:28.74\00:43:33.17
and finally answered by God.
00:43:33.21\00:43:35.64
Satan's plan must be
allowed to grow to maturity
00:43:35.91\00:43:40.35
so that the universe could
see what was the final fruit
00:43:40.45\00:43:44.25
of his ideas.
00:43:44.29\00:43:46.19
You see, if God had
destroyed Lucifer right away,
00:43:46.39\00:43:49.02
doubts would have
remained in the minds
00:43:49.46\00:43:51.93
of the heavenly beings.
00:43:51.96\00:43:53.29
They would have said,
"Lucifer said that whoever
00:43:53.50\00:43:55.53
does not obey God is wiped out.
00:43:55.63\00:43:58.37
Look, He wiped him out."
00:43:58.40\00:44:00.50
There would have been doubts.
00:44:00.94\00:44:02.27
Secondly, the heavenly
beings would have served God
00:44:02.64\00:44:05.91
out of fear and not out of love.
00:44:05.94\00:44:08.54
God cannot accept
a service of fear.
00:44:08.58\00:44:11.61
And finally, there always
would have been the possibility
00:44:11.98\00:44:14.68
of another rebellion to
overthrow this individual
00:44:14.72\00:44:18.22
that they might come to
conceive of as a despite.
00:44:18.25\00:44:21.82
So finally, Lucifer
won a third of the angels.
00:44:22.16\00:44:25.76
And he decided that he
would carry out a military coup
00:44:25.79\00:44:29.63
against the government of God.
00:44:29.66\00:44:31.23
That is described
in Revelation 12:7-9.
00:44:31.53\00:44:35.04
Revelation 12:7-9 says...
00:44:35.14\00:44:37.91
And so now Satan is cast
out of heaven with a third
00:45:03.20\00:45:07.90
of the angels of
heaven, the sympathizers
00:45:07.94\00:45:10.94
or the
co-conspirators with Satan.
00:45:10.97\00:45:14.38
And so the Bible tells
us that Lucifer ended up
00:45:15.18\00:45:18.81
coming finally to planet earth.
00:45:18.85\00:45:21.92
Now God decided to
create Adam and Eve
00:45:22.52\00:45:25.92
in spite of the fact
that Lucifer had sinned
00:45:25.95\00:45:28.92
and rebelled in heaven.
00:45:28.96\00:45:30.39
And as we know,
God told Adam and Eve,
00:45:30.76\00:45:33.16
"You can eat of
every tree of the garden,
00:45:33.46\00:45:35.56
but there's one particular
tree that you cannot eat of.
00:45:35.76\00:45:39.07
Because is you eat of that
tree, you will surely die."
00:45:39.10\00:45:43.41
But Eve, one day, goes
astray from her husband.
00:45:44.21\00:45:47.48
Of course, he should
have been looking out for her.
00:45:47.51\00:45:49.61
She ends up under the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil.
00:45:49.74\00:45:53.65
Very dangerous ground.
00:45:53.88\00:45:55.38
And suddenly, the
serpent speaks to her.
00:45:55.92\00:45:57.95
And I want you to notice
how the same type of argument
00:45:57.99\00:46:01.22
that Lucifer used in
heaven he uses on Eve.
00:46:01.26\00:46:04.49
Let's go to Genesis 3:1.
00:46:05.06\00:46:07.20
And we'll go
through this very quickly.
00:46:07.23\00:46:09.63
Genesis 3:1-6
00:46:09.86\00:46:13.13
Would it be a miracle
for a serpent to talk?
00:46:21.74\00:46:24.05
See, the devil performs a
counterfeit miracle, doesn't he?
00:46:24.61\00:46:27.45
Because he gives the
serpent the capacity to talk.
00:46:27.85\00:46:30.69
And Ellen White says
that Eve knew that the serpent
00:46:30.79\00:46:33.72
had not been given
the ability to talk.
00:46:33.76\00:46:35.76
And so now she says,
"God told us that serpents
00:46:36.32\00:46:39.26
could not talk,
and now he's talking.
00:46:39.29\00:46:40.80
So why did God lie to us?"
00:46:40.83\00:46:42.16
See, the devil is
starting to plant doubts
00:46:42.20\00:46:44.60
about the character of God.
00:46:44.63\00:46:46.23
Now notice, "So he
says to the woman..."
00:46:46.60\00:46:48.80
This is a
talking snake; a miracle.
00:46:48.90\00:46:50.91
Is that what God has said?
00:46:58.48\00:46:59.81
That they couldn't eat
of every tree of the Garden?
00:46:59.98\00:47:02.28
No. What is the devil doing?
00:47:02.38\00:47:03.79
Is he misquoting God's word?
00:47:03.82\00:47:05.55
He's misquoting
God's word. Right?
00:47:05.89\00:47:08.39
Now what is the purpose
of misquoting God's word?
00:47:08.59\00:47:11.43
Listen, there's no better
way of starting a conversation
00:47:11.73\00:47:14.33
than to say
something that's wrong.
00:47:14.83\00:47:16.33
It'll get a reaction
from somebody, won't it?
00:47:16.36\00:47:18.53
For example, if I said to
you, "Do you see this coat
00:47:18.73\00:47:21.54
that I have on tonight?
00:47:21.57\00:47:22.90
It's red."
00:47:22.94\00:47:24.27
You'd have to be color blind.
00:47:25.44\00:47:26.91
Immediately your
reaction is, "No it isn't.
00:47:27.48\00:47:29.64
What, are you
color blind or something?
00:47:29.68\00:47:31.28
That coat isn't
red. It's black."
00:47:31.71\00:47:34.18
So the purpose of
making this false statement
00:47:34.35\00:47:37.55
and attributing it to
God is to get Eve to respond.
00:47:37.59\00:47:41.59
The devil wants to
start a conversation with her
00:47:41.69\00:47:44.83
because he knows that
once the conversation starts,
00:47:44.86\00:47:47.80
he'll be able to overwhelm her.
00:47:47.83\00:47:49.73
So it says, once again...
00:47:50.00\00:47:51.50
Oh, now she's
going to correct him.
00:47:56.84\00:47:58.31
And now she's going
to add to God's word.
00:48:11.25\00:48:13.12
So the devil is
misquoting God's word,
00:48:16.79\00:48:19.66
and she, to defend the
honor of God, is actually
00:48:19.76\00:48:22.60
adding to God's word.
00:48:22.63\00:48:24.20
And now notice verse 4.
00:48:25.10\00:48:26.77
He has her exactly
where he wants her.
00:48:28.74\00:48:30.91
You know what the
devil is doing here?
00:48:37.45\00:48:38.88
He's planting what is
known as cognitive dissonance
00:48:38.91\00:48:42.12
in psychological terms.
00:48:42.22\00:48:43.85
It's another way of saying
that he's planting confusion
00:48:44.52\00:48:47.09
in the mind of Eve.
00:48:47.12\00:48:48.46
He's planting a
thought in the mind of Eve.
00:48:48.86\00:48:51.93
What is the thought that he's
planting in the mind of Eve?
00:48:52.19\00:48:54.86
Well, she says, "God said
that if we eat of the tree,
00:48:55.06\00:48:59.23
we're going to die.
00:48:59.27\00:49:00.60
Now the serpent is telling
me that we're not going to die
00:49:00.64\00:49:04.01
if we eat from the tree.
00:49:04.04\00:49:05.37
So the big question is,
if we're not going to die,
00:49:05.41\00:49:08.04
why did God say that we were."
00:49:08.08\00:49:10.15
Are you following me or not?
00:49:11.08\00:49:12.41
That's the question that
he planted in Eve's mind.
00:49:12.45\00:49:14.88
"Why did God say
that we were going to die
00:49:15.12\00:49:18.19
if we eat from the tree if
we're not going to really die?"
00:49:18.29\00:49:20.76
Do you suppose the devil had
the answer to his own question?
00:49:21.06\00:49:23.49
You better believe he did.
00:49:23.96\00:49:25.29
See, he's playing
psychological games here.
00:49:25.33\00:49:27.83
And so it says in verse 4...
00:49:28.16\00:49:29.53
In other words,
"God knows something He
00:49:34.80\00:49:36.24
doesn't want you to know."
00:49:36.27\00:49:37.61
God keeps what?
00:49:37.64\00:49:39.17
"God keeps secrets
that only He wants to know.
00:49:39.77\00:49:43.71
And you really have a
right to know as well."
00:49:43.98\00:49:46.25
Did he use that
method in heaven?
00:49:46.28\00:49:47.85
He most certainly did.
00:49:47.88\00:49:49.22
"For God knows that
in the day you eat of it
00:49:49.25\00:49:52.42
your eyes will be opened..."
00:49:53.15\00:49:55.02
Is this talking
about the physical eyes?
00:49:55.22\00:49:56.86
No, because Eve had...
00:49:57.13\00:49:59.69
Well, I was going
to say 20/20 vision.
00:49:59.79\00:50:02.13
It's probably better than that.
00:50:02.23\00:50:03.57
But she was seeing
with her physical eyes.
00:50:03.60\00:50:05.60
What the serpent
is saying to her is,
00:50:06.43\00:50:08.64
"God wants blind service.
00:50:08.84\00:50:10.91
He wants you to simply
serve Him because He says so.
00:50:11.07\00:50:13.94
But if you eat from the tree,
00:50:14.38\00:50:15.81
your eyes are
going to be opened."
00:50:15.91\00:50:17.95
In other words,
you're going to be wise.
00:50:17.98\00:50:20.32
So he says, "...your
eyes will be opened..."
00:50:21.38\00:50:23.89
And now notice this, "...and
you will be like..." What?
00:50:24.75\00:50:28.92
Had Lucifer said that in heaven,
"I will be like the Most High"?
00:50:29.66\00:50:32.39
Yes, he says, "...you
will be like..." What?
00:50:32.43\00:50:35.53
"...like God..."
Now listen carefully.
00:50:35.56\00:50:37.07
Satan is not telling
her, "You'll be little gods."
00:50:37.67\00:50:41.57
You know, the King James Version
says, "You shall be like gods."
00:50:42.40\00:50:46.84
No, no.
00:50:46.98\00:50:48.31
What the devil is telling
her is, "You are going to be
00:50:48.34\00:50:50.91
on the same level as God."
00:50:50.95\00:50:52.71
"You shall be like
God," is what he's saying.
00:50:52.75\00:50:55.92
Now what is the devil
really insinuating here?
00:50:56.58\00:50:59.99
What the devil is saying
is, "Listen, God told you
00:51:00.02\00:51:03.96
not to eat from the
tree because He knew that if
00:51:03.99\00:51:07.46
if you eat from the
tree, you're going to be on
00:51:07.50\00:51:08.83
the same level with Him.
00:51:08.86\00:51:10.20
And God doesn't
want any competition,
00:51:10.63\00:51:12.50
He doesn't want any rivals.
00:51:12.53\00:51:14.17
He knows that if
you eat from the tree,
00:51:14.80\00:51:16.60
you're going to
be on the same level.
00:51:16.64\00:51:17.97
And He doesn't want anybody to
be on the same level with Him.
00:51:18.01\00:51:21.21
God is selfish.
00:51:21.28\00:51:22.94
God wants blind service.
00:51:23.55\00:51:25.75
God keeps secrets."
00:51:26.28\00:51:28.38
Are you seeing the picture?
00:51:28.48\00:51:29.82
"God lied to you.
00:51:31.05\00:51:32.89
God's a liar because He
said you're going to die.
00:51:32.99\00:51:35.12
You're not going to die.
00:51:35.16\00:51:36.49
God is self-serving.
00:51:36.52\00:51:38.19
God wants slaves."
00:51:38.23\00:51:39.63
He's smearing
the character of God.
00:51:39.66\00:51:41.80
And Eve is buying into it.
00:51:42.40\00:51:44.27
Now notice the final
point in this, verse 5.
00:51:44.30\00:51:48.00
"...and you will be like
God," in a particular way.
00:51:54.18\00:51:58.68
In what way?
00:51:59.51\00:52:00.85
"...knowing good and evil..."
00:52:00.88\00:52:03.89
Now let's stop
there for a moment.
00:52:04.39\00:52:05.99
Who is it that defines
what is good and what is evil?
00:52:07.36\00:52:10.49
Does our heart define
what is good and what's evil?
00:52:11.59\00:52:13.73
No. What does?
00:52:14.06\00:52:15.63
God's law.
00:52:15.80\00:52:17.47
So the individual
who defines what is good
00:52:18.40\00:52:22.30
and what is evil
is God, outside of us.
00:52:22.34\00:52:25.01
It is not our
heart, it is not our mind,
00:52:25.57\00:52:27.88
it is not our
feelings that define.
00:52:28.04\00:52:29.94
"Oh, I think this is good
and I think this is evil."
00:52:29.98\00:52:32.21
No.
00:52:32.25\00:52:33.58
God, because He's the
Creator, is the one who defines
00:52:33.62\00:52:37.39
the distinction
between good and evil.
00:52:37.42\00:52:39.52
But what is Lucifer,
what is the devil telling Eve?
00:52:40.06\00:52:43.19
He's saying,
"You will be like God,
00:52:43.46\00:52:46.83
knowing what is good
and knowing what is evil
00:52:47.60\00:52:50.33
without God having to tell you
what is good and what is evil.
00:52:50.53\00:52:54.47
You will be able to define
good and evil for yourself."
00:52:54.50\00:52:59.41
Is that what he
argued in heaven?
00:52:59.87\00:53:01.41
Do you notice the two statements
from, Patriarchs and Prophets,
00:53:01.94\00:53:04.91
and, Great Controversy?
00:53:04.95\00:53:06.28
Interesting that the
devil would use the same methods
00:53:06.72\00:53:10.19
with Eve that he used in heaven.
00:53:10.22\00:53:12.62
Why would he use
the same methods?
00:53:12.65\00:53:14.19
He said, "Hey,
it worked in heaven.
00:53:14.22\00:53:16.02
So if it worked in heaven,
why not try it on earth."
00:53:16.93\00:53:19.83
And he did try it on
earth, and he was successful
00:53:19.86\00:53:24.07
in his endeavor.
00:53:24.10\00:53:25.93
Now our time is running
out and I have quite a bit of
00:53:27.20\00:53:29.40
material here, so
let's go through this
00:53:29.44\00:53:31.84
as quickly as possible.
00:53:31.87\00:53:33.27
All heaven is engaged in
observing what is happening
00:53:33.98\00:53:39.48
in the great
controversy on a universal level
00:53:39.58\00:53:42.72
as well as on this small earth.
00:53:42.75\00:53:45.82
I want to read, and
then in our next lecture I'm
00:53:46.25\00:53:49.62
going to pick up on this.
00:53:49.66\00:53:50.99
I'm going to finish
this lecture, and then we're
00:53:51.03\00:53:52.79
going to go also
to lecture number two.
00:53:52.83\00:53:54.86
But I want to introduce our next
lecture with 1 Corinthians 4:9.
00:53:55.06\00:54:00.04
1 Corinthians 4:9
00:54:00.07\00:54:03.10
This is a significant verse.
00:54:03.14\00:54:04.64
And then we might have
time also for 1 Peter 1:12.
00:54:04.67\00:54:08.31
But notice 1 Corinthians 4:9.
00:54:08.34\00:54:10.15
And I'm reading from the
New International Version.
00:54:10.18\00:54:12.85
Don't get all bent
out of shape over that.
00:54:13.82\00:54:15.68
I believe the King James
is a great Bible version.
00:54:16.22\00:54:21.19
And I use King James or New
King James most of the time.
00:54:21.49\00:54:24.16
But sometimes, once in a
while, there's another version
00:54:24.19\00:54:27.03
that catches the nuance better.
00:54:27.06\00:54:28.70
Notice 1 Corinthians 4:9.
00:54:29.16\00:54:31.87
Here, the apostle Paul says...
00:54:31.90\00:54:33.27
So the apostles,
according to Paul, are on what?
00:54:39.67\00:54:42.21
On display.
00:54:42.58\00:54:43.91
The Greek word
is, "apodeiknumi."
00:54:43.95\00:54:47.68
It means, to
demonstrate, to expose to view,
00:54:48.15\00:54:51.72
or to exhibit.
00:54:51.75\00:54:53.09
In other words, he's saying,
00:54:53.12\00:54:54.46
"Us apostles,
we are on exhibit."
00:54:54.49\00:54:56.59
In other words, the apostles
are going to die in the arena.
00:55:03.06\00:55:06.10
And they are on what?
00:55:06.20\00:55:08.04
On display.
00:55:08.34\00:55:09.67
Everybody is looking.
00:55:09.70\00:55:11.04
Remember the
Colosseum, the Roman Colosseum?
00:55:11.07\00:55:12.41
They were on display and
everybody was what? Looking.
00:55:12.94\00:55:15.54
Only this is not talking
only about the Colosseum.
00:55:15.64\00:55:18.88
This is talking
about the whole universe
00:55:18.91\00:55:20.68
watching what's going on.
00:55:20.72\00:55:22.05
Let's finish reading the text.
00:55:22.08\00:55:23.62
Do you know what that
word, "spectacle," is in Greek?
00:55:40.30\00:55:43.10
It's the Greek word, "theatron."
00:55:43.41\00:55:46.17
What word do we get in
English from, "theatron"?
00:55:46.81\00:55:49.54
Theater.
00:55:50.15\00:55:51.48
In other words, what
is happening in this world
00:55:51.75\00:55:54.22
is like a movie that
the universe is watching
00:55:54.32\00:55:59.65
to see who's
right and who's wrong,
00:56:00.36\00:56:03.32
whose character is good
and whose character is evil.
00:56:03.79\00:56:06.83
So it continues saying here,
"We have been made a spectacle,"
00:56:07.03\00:56:11.07
and that is the theater,
"to the whole universe..."
00:56:11.10\00:56:14.87
And then it explains
what the universe is.
00:56:14.90\00:56:18.84
It says, "...to
angels as well as to men."
00:56:18.87\00:56:23.65
So is this world on display?
00:56:24.95\00:56:27.42
It's on display to
angels, to heavenly beings,
00:56:28.05\00:56:31.35
as well as to men.
00:56:31.39\00:56:32.82
Let's notice one
more verse, 1 Peter 1:12.
00:56:33.19\00:56:36.26
We'll pick up on a few of them
in our next lecture tomorrow.
00:56:36.29\00:56:39.49
This is speaking about
the Old Testament Scriptures
00:56:39.86\00:56:42.33
that were given to the prophets.
00:56:42.96\00:56:44.83
It says, "To them..."
That is, to the prophets.
00:56:44.93\00:56:47.20
So in other
words, what they wrote
00:57:01.68\00:57:03.42
they didn't
write for themselves.
00:57:03.62\00:57:05.25
They wrote it for whom?
00:57:05.35\00:57:06.69
For us, in the
times of fulfillment.
00:57:06.72\00:57:08.89
And now notice the
last part of the verse.
00:57:09.12\00:57:11.59
The last part of
the verse says...
00:57:11.63\00:57:13.29
So the plan of salvation
in this world is something
00:57:19.63\00:57:23.14
that the angels
desire to look into.
00:57:23.17\00:57:26.31
We are the
theater of the universe,
00:57:26.78\00:57:28.94
both to angels and to men.
00:57:28.98\00:57:30.41
Angels and the beings of
other worlds are watching
00:57:30.61\00:57:33.82
what's happening in this
world to see how God will
00:57:33.85\00:57:36.92
clear His name from the
accusations that have been
00:57:36.95\00:57:39.75
launched against Him by
this enemy of all enemies.
00:57:39.79\00:57:43.22
In other words, the
purpose of the plan of salvation
00:57:44.09\00:57:46.39
is not merely to save man.
00:57:46.49\00:57:48.86
It's in the process of
saving man God clears Him name
00:57:48.96\00:57:54.07
from all of the
accusations that are launched
00:57:54.17\00:57:56.60
against Him by the enemy.
00:57:56.64\00:57:58.21
And when the conflict
is over, God's name will be
00:57:58.41\00:58:01.94
totally cleared
of any accusations.
00:58:01.98\00:58:04.85